Toy airplane with folding wings having tabs



Nov. 5, 1968 G, H. ANDERSON TOY AIRPLANE WITH FOLDING WINGS HAVING TABS2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 21, 1965 INVENTOR. GOPDON ANDERSON BY u M5M! 1 A TTUQN YS Nov. 5, 1968 G. H. ANDERSON TOY AIRPLANE WITH FOLDINGWINGS HAVING TABS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 196

INVENTOR. GORDON Ll ANDERSON v/1 UM; mum

ATTORNEYS- United States Patent-O 3,408,767 TOY AIRPLANE WITH FOLDINGWINGS HAVING TABS Gordon H. Anderson, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., as-

signor to Lakeside Industries, Inc., a corporation of Delaware FiledDec. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 515,350 10 Claims. (CI. 46-80) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE .The device is a toy airplane made of light weight ma-v Thepresent invention relates to a toy airplane and more particularly to atoy airplane having rearwardly folding wings which enable the plane tobe launched like a rocket with the wingsfolded rearwardly, andthereafter flown and landed like a glider after the wings'have opened inflight at a predetermined time after launching.

While, many toy airplane constructions have been utilized, which haveincorporated foldable wings for the purpose of enabling the plane to belaunched with the wings in a retracted position, many of these have not.

been entirely satisfactory for various reasons. Some of the more commondisadvantages of previous constructions have included:

(1) Difliculty in maintaining the wings in a retracted position prior toand during launching, and during initial flight of the arplane;

(2) A fragile construction which resulted'in damage to the airplaneduring folding of the wings, launching or landing;

(3) The provision of a complicated locking mechanism for maintaining thewings in a retracted position during launching which was unreliable inoperation and costly and diflicult to assemble or replace;

(4) A wing construction which necessitated that the wings first berotated before they could be folded back against the tail end of theairplane, with a consequent difliculty in the retracting of the wingsprior to launching; and

(5) An airplane construction that was complicated and comprised a largenumber of parts, thereby being difficult and expensive to manufactureand assemble, and frequently impossible to repair.

The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a toyairplane having foldable wings which embraces substantially all of theadvantages of prior and similarly employed toy airplanes, and whichpossesses none of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to

provide a toy airplane which is so constructed that it can be launchedlike a rocket with a minimum ofair resistance, and then flown and landedlike a glider without requiring further control by the operator.

An additional object of the present invention is the provision of a toyairplane having wings which may be folded rearwardly toward the tail endof the body or fuselage and which may be maintained in a retracted3,408,767 Patented Nov. 5, 196 8 2 position during launching and initialflight of the airplane. I I

Another object of the present invention is to provide. a toy airplanehaving foldable wings which are normally. biased to, an open positionand which may be 'easily manually retracted and maintained in aretracted posi tion during launching and initial flight of the airplane.

A further object is to provide a toy airplane having rearwardly foldablewings which are so constructed as to be maintainable in a retractedposition during launch ing and the initial flight of the airplane, afterwhich the wings will open to sustain flight ofthe airplane 'in aglider-like manner. V Still another object is to provide a toy airplanehaving rearwardly foldable wingswith tab means thereon, the tab meansbeing so constructed and positioned as to' be easily gripped by theoperator to maintain thewirlgsin a retracted position during launchingof the airplane, to

maintain the wings in said retracted position during the":

initial flight of the airplane, and to serve as air. brakes to reducethe glide velocity of the airplane when its wings are open and it isdescending.

A still further object is the provision of a toy airplane of thefoldable'wing type which is durable, simple in construction, inexpensiveto manufacture and assemble, easily repairable, and reliable inoperation.

An additional object is to provide such a toy airplane which is soconstructed that the components thereof may be easily formed or moldedfrom a suitable plastic material so as to provide a durable,light-weight and economical construction.

According to the present invention, the toy airplane comprises a pair ofwings which are pivotally mounted on the body so as to be foldablerearwardly into an abutting relation with the tail end of the body. Eachof the wings is normally retained in an open positionby suitableresilient means secured to the body and to the wings. A small uprighttab is provided on the outer trailing edge of each of the wings and isso constructed as to serve a three-fold purpose: (1) It can be easilygripped by the operator to hold its respective wing in a retractedposition against the tail end of the body during launching of theairplane; (2) It prevents its respective wing fromunfolding to an openposition during the faster initial flight of the airplane; and (3) Itserves as an air brake when the wing is open to reduce the glidevelocity of the plane when it is descending to thereby prevent ahardlanding and damage resulting therefrom. In operation,

increased air pressure against the surface of each of the tabs duringthe initial flight of the airplane prevents the wings from unfolding toan open position until the maximum height of the airplane is attained.Thereafter,

owing to reduce air pressure against the tabs, the resilient meanssecured to the wings and'the body causes the wings to unfold to a fullyopen position to thus sustain the flight of the airplane in aglider-type manner and enable it to be smoothly landed.

The present invention, both as to its organization and manner ofoperation, together with further objects and FIGURE 1 is a perspectiveview of a toy airplane constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe instant invention, showing the wings in a fully opened position;'FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the airplane shown in FIGURE 1 as itis about to be launched, showing the wings held back in a retractedposition against the tail end of the airplane by one hand of theoperator, with the nose of the airplane being engaged by the flexiblevmember of a slingshot held in the other hand of the operator;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the toy airplane shown in FIGURES land 2, showing one wing in an open position and the other wing in aretracted position; and

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view in perspective show-' ing the intendedflight path of the instant toy airplane after launching. 4

As an exemplary embodiment of the instant invention,

7 FIGURES 1 through 3 illustrate a toy airplane 10 comprising anelongated body or fuselage 12, a pair of wings 14 movably mounted on thebody 12, a pair of stabilizers 16 formed integral with the body 12, anda tail fin 18 removably secured to the rear portion of the body. Each ofthese components of the toy airplane 10 preferably is formed or moldedfrom a suitable flexible resilient plastic material, such aspolyethylene or polypropylene. It is to be understood, however, that theairplane may be formed of any other suitable material, without departingfrom the principles or scope of the instant invention.

The elongated body 12 is generally U-shaped in crosssection to define alongitudinally extending, upwardly facing groove 20 therein (see FIGURE1). In order to impart a desired amount of rigidity to the body 12, oneor more cross members 22 are provided in the groove 20, preferably nearthe front or nose portion 24 of the body. A bumper or shock absorbingmember 26 is removably mounted in any suitable manner on the noseportion 24 of the body 12, and is formed of any suitable flexible andresilient material, such as rubber or a synthetic equivalent thereof.Rearwardly of the bumper 26, the body 12 is provided with a dependingprojection 28 on the underside thereof, which defines a notch 3ll-thatis adapted to receive the flexible member 32 of a slingshot 34 forlaunching (see FIGURES 1 and 2).

The airplane body 12 further comprises a pair of generally laterallyextending, wing-supporting extensions or projections 36 formed integraltherewith and disposed on opposite sides thereof. As illustrated inFIGURE 3, each of the wing-supporting projections 36 is provided with adepending flange 38 at its leading edge, a depending and generallylaterally extending rib 40 which intersects at its outer end with therear portion of the flange 38, and a depending pivot member 42 which isgenerally circular in cross-section and disposed rearwardly of the rib40. The wings 14 have circular openings 44 near the inner ends thereofthrough which the pivot members 42 extend to thus pivotally support thewings on the lateral projections 36 of the airplane body 12. Anelongated spring member 46, formed of any suitable flexible andresilient material, extends through aligned apertures in the pivotmembers 42, the body 12 and transverse ribs 48 formed on theundersurface of the wings 14. The spring member 46 serves to bias eachof the wings 14 into an open position, wherein the inner leading edge ofeach wing engages the adjacent rib 40 on the undersurface of one of thebody projections 36 (see FIGURE 3), the ribs 40 serving as means forlimiting the opening movement of the wings. Each end of the springmember 46 is provided with a curl or enlargement 50 to prevent thespring mem ber from sliding out of the openings in the transverse wingribs 48. It will be apparent, therefore, that the spring member 46 andrearwardly extending beads 52 formed on the ribs 40 of thewing-supporting projections 37, serve to retain the wings 14 on thepivot members 42.

A tab 54 is provided on the outer trailing edge of each of the wings 14and, preferably, is formed integral therewith. Each of the tabs 54extends both upwardly and downwardly in substantially equal distancesfrom its respective wing 14 at substantially right angles to the upperand lower wing surfaces, and is provided with a straight outer wall '56and laterally inwardly tapered, upper and lower, inner wall portions 58,as shown in FIGURES l and 2. The wings 14 are so pivotally mounted onthe supporting body projections 36 as to be foldable rearwardly into aposition wherein their trailing edges abut or are disposed closelyadjacent to the body 12 of the airplane (see FIGURES 2 and 3). In thisretracted position, the wings 14 are disposed beneath the stabilizers16, and the tabs 54 are disposed in abutting relation or closelyadjacent to the tail fin18. As shown in FIGURE 1, the tail fin 18 isprovided with a lower portion 60 which extends beneath the body 12, sothat both the upper and lower portion of the wing tabs 54 are disposedclosely adjacent to a portion of the tail fin when the wings 14 are in aretracted position.

In the operation of the instant toy airplane, it is launched preferablyin a vertical or near vertical direction, by engaging the flexiblemember 32 of the slingshot 34 in the notch 30 provided on theundersurface of the forward body portion 24 as shown in FIGURE 2. Thewings 14 are pivoted rearwardly against the force of the spring member46 to their retracted positions wherein the tabs 54 are' disposedclosely adjacent to the tail fin 18. Both the upper and lower portionsof the tabs are of sufficient size so that the operator may grasp eitherof them between his fingers and hold them against the tail fin 18 tomaintain the wings 14 in a retracted position during launching of theairplane with the slingshot 34, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. With thewings in this retracted position, and because of the rearwardly taperedleading edge of the wing-supporting projections 36, the airplanepresents a streamlined shape which offers minimum resistance to thepassage of air during launching and initial flight.

After the tabs 54 and tail fin 18 are released from the grip of theoperator, during substantially vertical launching of the airplane underthe force of the slingshot member 32, the tabs 54 serve to maintain thewings *14 in retracted position against the force of the spring 46',owing to increased air pressure acting on the outer tab surfaces duringthe initial flight of the airplane. It is to be understood that the tabs54 are of a predetermined size, which is relative to the strength of thespring member 46, so that the air pressure on the frontal or outer areaof the tabs during initial flight of the airplane will overcome theresilient force of the spring member, thus preventing the wings fromunfolding until substantially the maximum height of projected flight isattained, whereupon the air pressure is substantially reduced to allowthe wings to unfold.

Referring to FIGURE 4, as the airplane nears or reaches its maximumheight and is decelerating, the air pressure against thesurfaces of thetabs 54 decreases to a point where the force of the spring member 46 issufficient to overcome the diminishing air resistance against the tabsand to open the wings 14. Thereafter, with the wings in an openposition, the flight of the airplane is sustained in a glider-likemanner, and it is adapted to land in a gradual and smooth flight path,owing to the air braking elfect of the tabs as the plane is descending.The forward portion 24 of the body 12 is curved slightly downwardly, asshown in FIGURE 1, so that the flexiblebumper 26 will initially strikethe ground during landing to absorb the shock and prevent damage toother parts of the airplane. In addition, because the instant airplanepreferably is formed substantially entirely of a flexible plasticmaterial, it is resistant to damage from normal or even abnormal use.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily understood that theinstant toy airplane is so constructed that it can be launched like arocket to provide a minimum of frontal area which in turn reduces airresistance, and then down and landed like a glider, without requiringfurther control by the operator or a complicated timing mechanism. Thewing tabs of the instant airplane serve the three-fold purpose ofenabling the wings to be conveniently manually retained in a retractedposition during launching, preventing the wings from opening during thelaunching and initial flight of the airplane, and reducing the glidevelocity as the plane is descending. As an additional advantage, thesimple construction and small number of parts of the instant airplane,and the simple manner of removably securing them, enables the airplaneto be easily and cheaply assembled, and the parts thereof to be easilyremoved 'for repair or replacement.

It is obvious that many modifications could be made to the instant toyairplane construction without departing from the principles of thisinvention. For example, the wings could be so' pivotally mounted on thebody that, in a. retracted position, they would be disposed over, ratherthan under the stabilizers of the airplane; the tabs 54 could be of anysuitable shape and relative size other than those specifically disclosedherein, and the tabs need not necessarily extend in equal distances bothupwardly and downwardly from the wings 14; moreover, the wings 14 couldbe pivotally mounted on the body 12 in any suitable or conventionalmanner other than the pivotal mounting specifically disclosed herein,and various types of resilient means other than the spring member 46could be utilized to bias the wings to an open position.

It will be understood that the foregoing description and examples areonly illustrative of the present invention, and it is not intended thatthe invention be limited thereto. All substitutions, alterations andmodifications of the present invention which come within the scope ofthe following claims or to which the present invention is readilysusceptible, without departing from the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure, are considered part of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy airplane comprising:

a body having a front end and a tail end,

a pair of wings movably mounted on said body for movement between anopen position wherein said wings extend laterally outwardly from saidbody and a closed position wherein said wings extend substantiallyparallel to and are disposed closely adjacent to said body, and

resilient means for urging said wings to said open position,

each of said wings having a vertical tab on the outer trailing edgethereof, said tabs being disposed closely adjacent the tail end of saidbody and adjacent each other when said wings are in said closed positionwhereby to be easily manually gripped to retain said wings in saidclosed position against the force of said resilient means duringlaunching of said airplane.

2. The toy airplane of claim 1 wherein said tabs are of a sizesuflicient to resist opening of said wings after launching and duringinitial flight of said airplane, owing to increased air pressure actingon said tabs during the initial flight of said airplane.

3. The toy airplane of claim 1 wherein said tabs are rigidly secured tothe trailing edges of said wings and extend both upwardly and downwardlytherefrom substantially at right angles to the upper and lower wingsurfaces.

4. The toy airplane of claim 1 wherein a tail fin is secured to the tailend of said body and extends both rearwardly and downardly therefrom,and wherein said tabs are disposed closely adjacent both sides of saidtail fin when said wings are in said closed position.

5. The toy airplane of claim 1 wherein said body comprises lateralextensions on both sides thereof, said extensions having pivot memberson which said wings are pivotally mounted.

6. The toy airplane of claim 5 wherein said resilient means comprises anelongated spring member secured to said pivot members and said wings,and wherein said lateral extensions are provided with means for limitingthe opening movement of said Wings.

7. The toy airplane of claim 6 wherein said front end of said airplaneis adapted to receive the flexible member of a slingshot for launchingof said airplane, and wherein a flexible bumper member is removablymounted on the front end of said body.

8. A toy glider-type airplane comprising:

an elongated body having a front end and a tail end,

a pair of wings pivotally mounted near the front end of said body formovement between an open position wherein the wings extend laterallyoutwardly from said body and a closed position wherein said Wings extendsubstantially parallel to and the trailing edges thereof are disposedclosely adjacent to said body, and

resilient means secured to said wings and said body for urging saidwings to said open position,

each of said wings having a vertical tab formed integral there-with anddisposed on the outer trailing edge thereof, said tabs being disposedclosely adjacent the tail end of said body and adjacent each other whensaid wings are in said closed position whereby to be easily manuallygripped to maintain said wings in said closed position against the forceof said resilient means during launching of said airplane.

9. The toy airplane of claim 8 wherein a tail fin is provided on thetail end of said body and extends rearwardly and downwardly therefrom,and wherein said tabs extend both upwardly and downwardly from thetrailing edges of said Wings and are adapted to be positioned closelyadjacent both the rear and bottom portion of said tail fin when saidwings are in said closed position.

10. The toy airplane of claim 8 wherein said body comprises lateralextensions on both sides thereof which are formed integral therewith,said lateral extensions having depending pivot members on which saidwings are pivotally mounted for movement in a substantially commonplane, and wherein said resilient means comprises an elongated springmember' extending through said depending pivot members and said body andbeing secured to said wings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,158,377 5/1939 OHare 46802,417,267 3/1947 Porter 46-80 2,746,207 5/ 1956 Starkey 46--75 3,222,81712/ 1965 Brandstetter 46-80 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner.

